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The Deadcast explores Steal Your Face's iconic artwork & visits the Grateful Dead's June 1976 return to the road, including a tour of the Dead Head culture that bloomed in their absence.Guests: Richard Loren, John Scher, Ron Rakow, Eugene Dolgoff, Pat Lee, Johnny Dwork, Dave Davis, Rob Bleetstein, John Brackett, Starfinder Stanley, David LemieuxSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Bitcoin remains under pressure as another $469 million flows out of spot Bitcoin ETFs, pushing cumulative ETF demand to its weakest level since July 2025. Matt breaks down why institutional money continues leaving the market, what it means for Bitcoin's short-term outlook, and why history suggests long-term investors may still want to keep emotions in check despite growing fear.The episode also explores Japan's emergence as a global stablecoin leader, with both Circle's USDC and Ripple's RLUSD expanding into the country's regulated financial system. Matt discusses President Trump's decision to delay signing legislation containing a Federal Reserve CBDC ban, the implications for the Clarity Act, and why stablecoins—not Bitcoin—may ultimately become crypto's biggest real-world success story.Finally, Matt covers new crypto security incidents involving Genesis and Cardano wallets, Jameson Lopp's latest research on preparing Bitcoin for a post-quantum world, Kalshi's reported $40 billion valuation, and reflects on why every major Bitcoin bear market has tested investors' patience before rewarding those willing to think in years instead of weeks.Happy Hodling, Everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Markets were hit with a broad risk-off selloff as more than $717 million in crypto positions were liquidated, dragging Bitcoin below $62,000 and pushing major cryptocurrencies sharply lower. Matt examines why this wasn't just a crypto event, but a market-wide move that also hit technology stocks, AI-related assets, and SpaceX, raising questions about whether investors are reacting to geopolitical risks, institutional positioning, or something else entirely.The episode also covers Strategy's weakening preferred stock and what it could mean for the company's Bitcoin acquisition strategy, the Senate's passage of a four-year ban on a Federal Reserve CBDC, and Ripple's preliminary MiCA approval in Europe. Matt also explores growing concerns around quantum computing after new government initiatives aimed at preparing for future encryption threats, and what that could eventually mean for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and digital asset security.Finally, Matt looks at the ongoing SpaceX correction, discusses Craig Cobb's warning that lower Bitcoin lows may still be ahead, and asks the question many investors are wondering this morning: if everything is selling off at once, what does the market know that we don't?Happy Hodling, Everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Send us Fan MailThis episode dives into Rhode Island's latest child well-being report, revealing critical insights into the state's progress and ongoing challenges. Paige Parks discusses with Rhode Island Kids Count Executive Director, Paige Parks, about systemic issues affecting children—covering poverty, education gaps, healthcare access, and immigrant family experiences.In this episode:The significance of data-driven advocacy for children's issuesOver 15% of Rhode Island children live in poverty, amidst soaring housing costsTrends in education: declining absenteeism but persistent challenges in early childhood accessImpact of federal policy changes on health insurance and social servicesThe rising number of children in immigrant families—nearly 30%—and the importance of multilingual education programsHow COVID-19 and inflation are magnifying disparities and stressors on familiesThe need for more investments in childcare, social safety nets, and community-based supportThe threat and potential rollback of critical federal and state programs due to policy shiftsStrategies for advocacy and coalition-building at the state levelTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction to Rhode Island Kids Count and their mission02:06 - The importance of putting children at the top of the policy agenda03:43 - Key findings from the 2026 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook04:10 - Child poverty and housing affordability crisis in Rhode Island05:13 - Ripple effects of unstable housing on children's well-being06:42 - The true cost of living in Rhode Island—almost 100k needed to stay afloat07:33 - Education insights: progress vs. persistent gaps in early childhood and K-1208:46 - Supporting the whole child: addressing food insecurity and school readiness09:57 - Chronic absenteeism: causes, challenges, and the importance of data11:20 - Health coverage: progress, disparities, and threats from federal policy changes13:20 - Exposure to violence, domestic situations, and their impact on children14:06 - The state of maternal and infant health care; disparities by race15:31 - The vulnerability of immigrant children and families amid federal immigration policies16:48 - The importance of local data amid federal funding cuts18:41 - Strategies for advocacy and policy impact amidst political changes20:15 - Federal data reductions: implications for statewide policy and program planning22:54 - The rising needs of immigrant families for services like dual-language education and workforce support24:11 - Addressing data gaps and community engagement for better child outcomes25:37 - The recent legislative session and how coalitions influence policy for children27:33 - Upcoming challenges: the impact of federal policies like HR 1 on families29:16 - The importance of economic investments to sustain child benefit programsSupport the showFollow Bill on Instagram and YouTube
I used to be afraid of cryptocurrency. In this episode of The John Grdina Classroom, I share the personal-transformation journey from fearful to informed — and I ground it all in Scripture, because Jesus spoke about money constantly, and a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children (Proverbs 13:22). We start with biblical stewardship and generational wealth, then break down in plain English what blockchain technology actually is, where the CLARITY Act stands in Congress right now, and my honest reasoning for owning XRP and Solana — including Ripple's work with Mastercard and major banks. I put on my skeptic hat and answer the hardest objections head-on: Is crypto safe? Is it a scam? What about the volatility? Then I hand you two low-emotion systems any man can run — dollar-cost averaging on the way in, and earning passive income by staking Solana — plus the real engine of financial freedom, which is time and discipline, not hype. This is a self-improvement and life faith podcast for men who want to lead, provide, and build something that lasts. Not financial advice — one faithful man's reasoning, handed back to you.LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3MB897IcrtEke2alZHdP3pApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-grdina-classroom/id1596314353CONNECTWebsite: https://johngrdina.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jgrdina_coach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.grdina.1Getting started on Kraken (referral): code hj7s3kcs — https://invite.kraken.com/JDNW/j0il8mk8This is a referral link that may benefit both of us. Check current promo terms on Kraken's page.This episode is for education and encouragement, not financial advice. I'm not a financial advisor. Crypto is volatile and you can lose money. Never invest more than you can afford to lose, never go into debt to invest, and do your own research or consult a licensed professional.#SelfImprovementPodcast #PersonalTransformation #LifeFaithPodcast #FaithAndFamilyPodcast #CatholicMen #MenOfFaith #4FFramework #JohnGrdina #FreedomToAscend #FaithFamilyFitnessFinance #MilesFidelis
Send Us a Message!A middle school classroom can feel like a storm of emotions, hormones, and stories and that's before we even get to the hard parts of history. Our guest, public school educator and Soul Rising graduate Lola Reddy, shares the real behind-the-scenes work that helps her stay steady: daily Reiki, clear energetic boundaries, and the kind of deep healing that changes how you respond when life is lifing. We talk about what drew Lola into Soul Rising during a major personal transition and why “self-work first” isn't a slogan, it's survival for caretakers, parents, and empaths. Lola breaks down her simple morning Reiki routine (breath, chakra focus, intention, and a protective bubble) and explains the difference it makes in patience, clarity, and classroom culture. We also explore somatic movement, matriarchal lineage support, and shamanic journeying that doesn't require perfect visuals to be powerful. Then Lola shares unforgettable moments of synchronicity: a Fire Horse journey that later mirrors a real tunnel-to-light experience, Lunar New Year symbols appearing in ordinary life, and a power animal story that moves through fear, grief, and surprising support. We also go into what it means to teach slavery, lynching, and discrimination truthfully while protecting students' emotional wellness, and why mentorship and community matter when you're doing spiritual growth without the guru model. If you're craving grounded spirituality, practical energy hygiene, and a path back to self-sourced wisdom, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a teacher or empath in your life, and leave a review so more people can find the work. Lola asks that if you enjoyed this episode, please consider donating to Foot Soldiers Park to preserve Selma history at https://footsoldierspark.org/donate/If you are interesting in joining Shantel Ochoa for Soul Contract & Alchemizing Archetypes Masterclass, learn more here: https://moonrisinginstitute.circle.so/c/soul-contracts-archetypes/Moon Rising Shamanic Institute Links:Website: https://moonrisinginstitute.com/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/moonrisinginstituteFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/moonrisingmysticsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonrising.instituteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@moonrisinginstituteSubscribe to the Newsletter: https://moonrisinginstitute.kit.com/spiritguideBook a session with Christine: https://calendly.com/christinerenee/90-minutes-intensiveBook a FREE 10 minute connect call with Christine: https://calendly.com/christinerenee/10-minute-connect-call-srpt
Crypto markets may be slowing down, but billions of dollars are still flowing into private crypto companies, AI infrastructure and prediction markets. In this episode, we discuss why major crypto firms are delaying IPOs, how private market investors are gaining exposure to companies like Kraken, Ripple and Consensys, and why institutional adoption of crypto continues to grow despite market uncertainty. We also discuss the growing intersection between crypto and AI, the future of prediction markets, and why traditional financial institutions are increasingly entering the digital asset space. In this episode, we discuss: - Why crypto companies like Consensys and Ledger are delaying IPOs - How firms like Kraken and Ripple may shape the next wave of public crypto companies - Why crypto VC firms continue to raise billions of dollars - The growing role of AI in crypto platforms and infrastructure - Why prediction markets may become a major sector in crypto - Institutional adoption of Bitcoin, Ethereum and digital assets - The future of tokenization and crypto financial infrastructure - Why traditional finance firms are increasingly entering crypto This episode is sponsored by Hypernative, the proactive onchain security platform for enterprises and institutions. Hypernative predicts and neutralizes threats before they materialize, powered by the most battle-tested machine learning engine in digital assets. From real-time monitoring and transaction security to compliance screening and automated response, Hypernative gives institutions the confidence to operate onchain without disruption. Already trusted to protect over $100 billion in digital assets across 70+ blockchains. Learn more at hypernative.io.
XRP may be entering a phase that most investors never saw coming. While the market remains focused on price, the infrastructure being built around XRP continues to expand at an incredible pace. Flare is unlocking new utility for XRP through smart contracts and DeFi. RLUSD is rapidly expanding across chains. Ripple is investing in global payment infrastructure. And new tools are making liquidity and interoperability more accessible than ever before. The question is no longer whether XRP has utility. The question is whether the market fully understands what XRP is becoming. Tonight, Jeff and Chip break down the latest developments from Ripple, Flare, RLUSD, Xaman, cross-chain interoperability, institutional adoption, and why these pieces may be combining into something much bigger than most people realize.
Crypto News: BlackRock's new bitcoin income fund offers cash flow alongside BTC exposure. BlackRock's Chief Investment Officer Rick Rieder says 'I think Bitcoin is ultimately going considerably higher'. Ripple invests in Flutterwave, pushing its stablecoin and XRP Ledger into payments across Africa. Squid adds Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin for cross-chain swaps.Brought to you by
Ayo Akinyele, Head of Engineering at RippleX, joined us to discuss the development and adoption of the XRP Ledger by institutions and more.Topics: - Institutions building on the XRPL - Quantum resistance strategy - AI Agent strategy - AMM v2 and DeFi Brought to you by
You already know the feeling. You put your phone down after an hour of scrolling and somehow feel more drained than before you picked it up. Maybe you're in a room full of people you love, and everyone's looking at their screen instead of each other. Maybe you've been quietly wondering if the way you've been living and connecting is actually working for you anymore. If any of that sounds familiar, this conversation is going to feel like coming up for air. I brought Julie Sands back into The Ripple Effect Podcast, and I'll be honest with you: time completely disappeared during this one. Julie is one of the most curious, well-read, and genuinely giving people I have ever had the pleasure of calling a friend. And her story alone is worth the listen. She started her career as an architect, then moved into project management, public works administration, and business development for a construction cooperative. But every single transition she has made has been driven by one thing: a deep commitment to understanding people and helping them show up as their best selves. She is an author, podcast host, and entrepreneur, and she recently became a chapter leader for Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the very thing we talk about in this episode. That is not a coincidence. That is Julie living out exactly what she believes. We got into what the research actually says about what makes people happy (and it is probably not what most of us spend our days chasing), why doom scrolling is quietly reshaping the way we relate to the people right in front of us, and what it really looks like to pursue meaningful relationships in a world that is designed to keep you distracted. We also touched on something I think a lot of people in that halftime stage of life are feeling but not saying out loud: the quiet question of what you actually want to do with the time you have left. What lights you up? What have you been putting off? What does your real purpose look like now that some of those earlier pressures have started to lift? Julie is also running two podcasts, working on a book, and the way her brain connects ideas is something you genuinely have to hear for yourself. Come hang out with us. You will not regret it. Want to go even deeper? Check out Patreon for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes insights. And if you are ready for something more immersive, our Connect + Grow Ripple coaching program is a full year of community, coaching, and accountability designed to help you build more meaningful relationships and create an even bigger Ripple out there in the world. Links below. Ripple On!!! Dive into Julie Sands' first interview on The Ripple Effect Podcast: https://youtu.be/Q5mfnER_nbA Ripple with Julie Sands Listen to Gearshift Gab Julie also started making earrings as a fundraiser so her son could go on a mission trip to Jamaica with their church. In three weeks, without posting a single thing on social media, she sold over 1,000 pairs! She sold them out of her purse to friends and acquaintances. No ad spend, just genuine human connection doing what it does best. You can check out her awesome collections here: https://jewelsbyjules.net Ripple with Steve Harper Instagram: http://instagram.com/rippleon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rippleon X: https://twitter.com/rippleonWebsite: http://www.ripplecentral.com
What if XRP's biggest advantage has nothing to do with speed, fees, or transactions per second? Tonight we break down a fascinating discussion from GSR that reveals what may actually separate Ripple from the rest of crypto: years of regulatory work, banking relationships, licensing, and infrastructure that can't simply be copied overnight. We'll also cover Brad Garlinghouse calling out Jamie Dimon, tokenization, institutional adoption, AI, regulation, geopolitics, Trump's America 250 plans, Marc Andreessen's warning about bureaucracy, and much more.
**THEY JUST REVEALED XRP'S ENDGAME** Most people still think XRP is about payments. But this week, Ripple revealed a much bigger picture. From AI agents transacting autonomously with XRP and RLUSD, to enterprise stablecoin settlement, quantum readiness, and the continued expansion of the XRP Ledger ecosystem, the pieces are starting to fit together. While much of the crypto market remains focused on price action, Ripple appears to be building infrastructure for a future where machines, businesses, and financial institutions exchange value at internet scale. In this episode, we break down Ripple's new XRPL AI Starter Kit, the launch of Bitso's MXNB stablecoin on XRPL, Fortune's recognition of XRP among the most influential blockchain projects, Ripple's multi-phase approach to quantum security, and Hugo Philion's comments on why the entire industry now seems to be chasing the very role XRP was originally designed to play. If these developments are connected, then XRP's endgame may be far bigger than most people realize.
Crypto News: Michael Saylor lies saying Strategy never said it would sell its Bitcoin. Visa says it has moved $7B annually in stablecoins through its network. Stellar Development Foundation has unveiled a quantum preparedness plan to migrate all XLM accounts to quantum-resistant signatures by end of 2027. Ripple and Bitso expand their partnership, bringing Bitso's MXN-backed stablecoin MXNB to the XRP Ledger. Brought to you by
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse criticized JPMorgan Chief Jamie Dimon over his comments on the CLARITY Act. Meanwhile, banks are saying the quiet part out loud. ~This episode is sponsored by Uphold~ Uphold Exa Credit Card ➜ https://bit.ly/UpholdExa 00:00 intro 00:08 Sponsor: Uphold 01:00 CLARITY Odds 01:29 Brad Garlinghouse vs Jamie Dimon 02:07 Negligent or Liar? 02:20 Ripple vs Congress 02:46 Brad: Revenue & Stablecoin Growth 03:26 RLUSD Growth 03:55 Ripple x Bitso 04:23 RLUSD Mutlichain 04:42 JP Morgan admits there's no JPM Coin demand 05:44 Ripple on RLUSD Demand Unlock 06:20 More trust for RLUSD 06:29 Bank lies exposed 07:16 PNC Bank CEO not worried about deposit flight via Yields 08:25 Banks laugh at bullshit argument 09:05 Banks are slow with A.I. too 09:30 Ripple Launches A.I. Starter Kit 10:23 Mastercard a nothing burger? 10:57 Brad on future acquisitions 11:24 Ripple moving faster than banks 11:47 outro #Crypto #XRP #xrpnews ~Banks Admit To Lying!?
Claudia Sahm says inflation remains relatively narrow despite recent energy shocks but warns the breadth of price pressures bears watching. She highlights a growing disconnect between consumer sentiment and market performance, driven by prolonged inflation and a gradually slowing labor market.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
The Deadcast tells the dramatic story of when the Hells Angels put ex-Grateful Dead Records president Ron Rakow on trial for walking away from the Dead with $225,000 he believed the band owed him.Guests: Ron Rakow, Steve Brown, Terry Haggerty, John Scher, David Lemeiux See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Crypto News: Jim Cramer continues being bearish on Bitcoin. BlackRock and Fidelity are quietly turning bitcoin ETFs into a two-firm market. Mastercard has launched a payment system designed for AI agents to transact autonomously, with Coinbase, Ripple ,Solana and polygon among 30+ partners already signed on.Brought to you by
For years, XRP holders have been told the story was about payments. But after this week's announcements from Ripple, XRPL, RLUSD, Mastercard, and the growing push toward autonomous AI transactions, a much bigger question is beginning to emerge. What if payments were never the destination? Tonight, we connect the dots between Ripple's new XRPL AI Starter Kit, Mastercard's Agent Pay initiative, RLUSD, AI agents, machine-to-machine commerce, XRP perpetuals on Kalshi, Flare's growing role in decentralized data infrastructure, and why Tom Lee believes AI actually increases the need for blockchain. We'll also discuss the latest developments surrounding the Clarity Act, Ripple's expansion into Asia, formal verification efforts on the XRP Ledger, and the biggest stories shaping crypto, markets, and geopolitics. The more pieces that emerge, the harder it becomes to ignore one possibility: This may be why XRP exists.
Mastercard has launched a service that enables a new class of payments by allowing artificial intelligence agents to complete transactions among themselves. ~This Episode is Sponsored by OKX~ Trade RLUSD/XRP on OKX + claim the new user offer! Deposit and trade $200 to unlock $100 ➜ https://bit.ly/OKXRP Use code: paulbarron *Terms Apply* 00:10 Sponsor: OKX 01:15 Ripple & Solana 01:30 Mastercard Agent Pay is super sus 02:15 Mastercard & Visa card demand skyrocketing 03:15 WalletConnect launches QR code on POS systems 03:45 Ingenico 05:00 Walletconnect ceo: tap will be the true unlock 08:15 Vitalik on wallets 09:00 Phantom & MetaMask valuations 09:40 Cathie's Big ideas? 10:00 WalletConnect Token 10:40 Active addresses + Solana #XRP #xrpnews #Solana ~Mastercard Launches A.I. Payments on Ripple & Solana
Steve Plunk was the OCC examiner at the center of the Penn Square Bank collapse, one of the most consequential bank failures in American history. He sits down with Travillian's Amber Buker to revisit the oil-fueled bank that fooled the biggest names in banking, the one line on the balance sheet that brought it down, and where that same blind spot is hiding in banks today. A special conversation from the collaboration series between Travillian Next and Maxfield on Banks.
In this episode of the What the FinTech? podcast, host and FinTech Futures Managing Editor Paul Hindle is joined by Cassie Craddock, Managing Director for UK and Europe at Ripple, to explore the work Ripple is doing to transform cross-border payments through blockchain technology and stablecoins and learn more about the company's expansion plans. Paul and Cassie discuss how Ripple's recent EMI licences in the UK and Luxembourg are positioning the company for significant growth across European markets, and what these regulatory milestones mean for clients and partnerships in the region. The conversation also covers the growing role of stablecoins in cross-border transactions, examining the advantages they offer over traditional methods, and how Ripple's USD stablecoin fits into the company's broader vision. And finally, we find out what fintech buzzword Cassie wants to throw into our Fintech Jail! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT FINTECH FUTURES FinTech Futures is the #1 provider of global fintech news and intelligence. With a mission to empower the financial technology community, we bring you the latest updates and thought leadership from across the industry. From startups to established players, we cover the entire fintech ecosystem. Stay Connected with FinTech Futures: Visit our website: www.fintechfutures.com Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fintechfutures/ Sign up to our newsletter: www.fintechfutures.com/newsletter Subscribe to our channel: www.youtube.com/@FinTechFutures
What if the secret to winning in CPG wasn't chasing the next trend – but staying focused on simple ingredients, a clear brand promise, and flawless execution? In this episode, Jeff Richards, founder and CEO of plant-based milk brand Mooala, explains how a commitment to organic sourcing, clear positioning, and a disciplined retail strategy helped transform a scrappy startup into one of the category's fastest-growing companies – even as the plant-based industry around it raced to reinvent itself. Show notes: 0:20: Jeff Richards, Founder & CEO, Mooala – Jeff reflects on his participation in BevNET Live's New Beverage Showdown in 2017 and discusses leaving investment banking to pursue an opportunity he saw in almond milk. He talks about Mooala's distinctive organic almond and banana milks and explains how the brand differentiated itself through organic certification, ingredient transparency, and flavor-forward formulations. He opens up about the challenges of educating consumers, refining Mooala's packaging, and adapting its messaging as shopper priorities evolved. He also details the realities of scaling a refrigerated beverage brand, from securing early wins with retailers such as Whole Foods, Costco, H-E-B, and Wegmans to navigating distribution, pricing, and marketing constraints with limited resources. Jeff shares lessons from fundraising, including the risks of raising capital before establishing product-market fit, and reflects on the rise and subsequent correction of the plant-based category. Looking back, he emphasizes the importance of incremental improvement, disciplined innovation, and patience, noting that Mooala's recent success stems from the alignment of strong products, clear brand messaging, organic positioning, and growing consumer demand. Brands in this episode: Mooala, Silk, Blue Diamond, Deep Eddy Vodka, Oatly, Ripple
This is more in line with what tends to work on YouTube: Ripple just made a move that most people completely missed. While everyone is focused on XRP price, Ripple's acquisition of Palisade may reveal something much bigger: institutional custody, compliance infrastructure, tokenization, and the foundation for the next generation of digital finance. We'll also discuss Flare's expansion into XRPFi, FLR's Robinhood listing, new XRPL infrastructure developments, and whether AI is replacing crypto—or making blockchain more important than ever. The biggest opportunities are often hidden in plain sight. Tonight, we're connecting the dots.
“He didn't just say it, he meant it, he felt it — and the combination of the power guy, the ruthless power guy, and the profound idealist was fascinating, and also hard for him.” — Evan Thomas on Bobby Kennedy Who was the greatest riddle in 20th century American political life? Judging from the ever-expanding library of Bobby biographies, Robert Francis Kennedy ranks very high on that list. Indeed, according to Evan Thomas, one of RFK's most acclaimed biographers, this third Kennedy son is, indeed, the most sphinx-like riddle in 20th century America. In his classic 2000 biography, Robert Kennedy: His Life, Thomas unravels the good and the bad Bobby. But, rather than presenting parallel narratives, his portrait treats the Machiavellian and the idealist as the same riddle. Raised by his father to exercise raw power, RFK discovered that mid-century America wasn't living up to its own ideals. The contradiction of the ruthless Kennedy machine politician and the profound idealist was what continues to make him so intriguing to Americans of every political stripe. Bobby concurred with Churchill's dictum that courage is the greatest virtue because, without it, you can't have the other virtues. So he lived a life of ridiculous physical and moral courage — taking insane risks that would terrify ordinary mortals. And, of course, his most insanely courageous act was his last — running for President in 1968 knowing that he was likely to be assassinated. Where have you gone, Bobby Kennedy? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Five Takeaways • The Central Paradox: Power Guy and Idealist in the Same Man: Bobby Kennedy was raised by his father to be the henchman of the Kennedy machine — doing the dirty stuff in Boston politics to keep Jack floating free and grand. He was pretty ruthless about it. At the same time, in mid-century America, he discovered that the country was not living up to its own constitution, and he wanted to make things right, and genuinely felt it. The combination of the machine politician and the profound idealist was what made him so endlessly fascinating. It also made him hard for himself: a man permanently at war with his own nature. • Courage: The Only Word That Mattered: No word was more important to Bobby Kennedy than courage. Churchill: it's the greatest virtue, because without it you can't have the others. Kennedy believed in physical courage, emotional courage, mental courage. He was a runty little kid at the wrong end of the dinner table — Jack and Joe and Kick at the golden end with the father, Bobby with the nuns and the mum. He got kicked out of prep school for cheating. He was not the athlete, not the golden one. Real courage comes from suffering. It took courage just to overcome being the loser. That was the source. • Making Up for Missing the War: Physical and Moral Courage: Bobby missed World War Two, basically. He got in at the very end and ended up scraping the deck of a destroyer in the Caribbean, far from combat. His brother Jack is a war hero on steroids — PT boat cut in half by a Japanese destroyer, rescues his men, written about in The New Yorker and Reader's Digest. Joe volunteers for a secret dangerous mission to replicate Jack's glory and dies. Pretty high bar of courage. Bobby spends the rest of his life making up for it — swimming the Colorado River, climbing Mount Kennedy in the Yukon, jumping overboard off the coast of Maine to save Jack's jacket. Sometimes stunts. But increasingly, moral courage — which is the greater thing. • The Mob, Joe Kennedy, and the Beehive: When Bobby starts poking around in the mob as a Senate aide, J. Edgar Hoover is only too happy to point out: keep going here, you know where it's going to end up. With Joe Kennedy. Bobby's investigation of Giancana and Frank Sinatra starts grazing against his own father. Thomas's reading: whether conscious or unconscious, there is an element of rebellion. Bobby, appointed henchman, doing the dirty stuff for pop, resenting it, starts poking the beehive that might expose him. It never fully landed. But it started. And Hoover used it to blackmail the Kennedys. • The Ripple of Hope, and RFK Jr. as Tragedy: Bobby's trip to South Africa — apartheid everywhere, the freedom movement barely existing, everybody in prison. His speech: every time somebody does something brave or heroic, it causes a ripple, and that gives you hope. A young Margaret Marshall, later Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, was in the audience. He gave us hope where there was none. That is the ghost Andrew went looking for at Hickory Hill and didn't find. The contrast with RFK Jr. is, for Thomas, simply sad. Poignant. His own family has disavowed him. Caroline Kennedy made a broadcast accusing him of crimes. The idea of Robert Kennedy Jr. is tragic. About the Guest Evan Thomas is an American writer and historian. He was Washington bureau chief of Newsweek for ten years and a writer and editor there for thirty-three years. He is the author of ten books, including Robert Kennedy: His Life (Simon & Schuster, 2000), Being Nixon, Road to Surrender, and, with Walter Isaacson, The Wise Men. He has taught at Harvard and Princeton. His biography of Churchill is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in December 2026. References: • Robert Kennedy: His Life by Evan Thomas (Simon & Schuster, 2000). • The Wise Men by Evan Thomas and Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster, 1986) — referenced in the closing. • Robert Coles — Bobby Kennedy's psychologist friend, referenced in the conversation. • Hickory Hill, McLean, Virginia — the Kennedy family home Andrew visited on this trip to Washington DC. • Bobby Kennedy's “Ripple of Hope” speech, University of Cape Town, South Africa, June 6, 1966. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTube
Crypto News: MasterCard expands settlement to support regulated stablecoins including USDC , RLUSD and PYUSD across Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum and XRP L.edger. Payment giants Stripe, Visa, Mastercard said to be among backers of soon-to-debut stablecoin platform. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says dapps on the chain will fail.Brought to you by
XRP may have just become impossible to ignore. While much of the market remains focused on price, institutions are rapidly building the infrastructure layer for always-on digital finance — and XRP continues to appear at the center of the settlement conversation. Today, Mastercard announced expanded settlement capabilities that support regulated stablecoins, including RLUSD, while enabling intraday, weekend, holiday, and 24/7 settlement options. At the same time, Ripple continues expanding Real World Asset (RWA) initiatives on the XRP Ledger, RLUSD adoption continues to grow, and the conversation around digital settlement infrastructure is accelerating across the financial industry. The bigger question is no longer whether digital assets will be part of the future financial system. The question is: What infrastructure is required to make a 24/7 financial system actually work? Tonight, Jeff and Chip connect the dots between: ⚡ Mastercard's expanding stablecoin settlement network ⚡ RLUSD and the XRP Ledger ⚡ Ripple's growing role in tokenized finance ⚡ The future of 24/7 global settlement ⚡ MoneyGram's stablecoin expansion ⚡ XRP Ledger infrastructure and validator growth ⚡ Why Peter Brandt believes XRP has the strongest transactional use case in crypto ⚡ The growing shift from speculation to utility As institutions move from experimentation to implementation, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: The next phase of digital finance may require infrastructure that was built long before most people realized why it mattered. #XRP #Ripple #RLUSD #Mastercard #XRPL #Crypto #Blockchain #Tokenization #Stablecoins #Finance ☕ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL Badassery Coffee Company https://badasserycoffee.com
Crypto News: The Clarity Act has been approved to move to the Senate floor for a vote. Bitcoin is in the oversold zone and a bounce may come soon. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren push Labor Dept. to scrap proposed rule that brings crypto into 401(k) plans. Anti CBDC ban has issues. Brought to you by
Brynly Llyr has deep roots in fintech and blockchain — in-house at eBay, PayPal, and Ripple, where she served as one of the first general counsels in crypto, then founding team at Celo, then Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets at the World Economic Forum. Now she's Deputy Commissioner for Digital Financial Assets at the California DFPI, leading the rollout of the Digital Financial Assets Law, which goes live July 1, 2026, covering exchanges, custodians, stablecoin issuers, and crypto kiosks across the world's fourth-largest economy.Ari Redbord, TRM's Global Head of Policy, sits down with Brynly to talk through what California is actually trying to solve. IC3 data puts the state at the top of the country for crypto-related fraud losses, with serious harm to elderly residents and teenagers under 17. Her thesis: licensed intermediaries that recognize fraud patterns are the most powerful lever a regulator has.They also dig into how blockchain's public visibility changes what supervisors can see in real time — and what that means for every licensed business managing its own risk. The conversation covers AI's role in regulation, what success looks like a year from now, and the universal experience of feeding teenage boys.
ALEXANDRIA SEYDEL from Ripples Edge Advisors shares expert strategies on “getting the business ready to sell.” We focus on exit planning and getting the most value out of the transaction. Discover how early planning, owner mindset, and strategic positioning can lead to successful exits and satisfied owners. https://youtu.be/8OwhCRCBZl4 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qawd64OYzljBvU9xqS8df?si=1Xvv2OUFSbeBtUDeJGTMXg KEY TOPICS Early exit planning and owner mindset,Getting the business ready for sale and transfer.Risk assessment and deal readiness.Owner satisfaction and post-sale happiness.Capital raising and growth strategies. SOUND BITES for “GETTING THE BUSINESS READY TO SELL” “Getting clear on owner success is crucial.”“Start exit planning 2-5 years in advance.”“Family dynamics can be deal breakers.” Chapters 00:00 Navigating Business Exits: An Introduction.02:57 Understanding Owner Satisfaction Post-Sale..05:55 Preparing for Sale: The Importance of Readiness.09:00 Building a Succession Plan for Business Continuity.11:49 Assessing Business Value: The Exit Readiness Assessment.15:08 Evaluating Growth Opportunities and Capital Needs.17:58 Cash vs. Equity: Making Informed Decisions.21:03 Finding the Right Buyers: The Role of Advisors.24:08 Addressing Family Dynamics in Business Sales.26:59 Checklist for Business Owners Considering Sale. RESOURCES Ripples Edge Advisors – https://ripplesedgeadvisors.com/ GUEST LINKS LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaseydel/ QSBS For Founders – https://frazerrice.com/qsbs-for-founders/ TRANSCRIPT Frazer RiceWelcome aboard, Alex. Alexandria SeydelHi Frazer, so nice to be here. Thank you for having me. Frazer RiceThank you for being on. We’re at a time now with the economy where it feels like it’s roaring. Valuations on things are going up, up, up. And people who have founded businesses are exploring their options. That’s kind of where you step in with your firm Ripple’s Edge Advisors. Talk to us about what you do to help founders get ready. Not only in understanding what they have in their own business. How to go through the daunting process of exploring their options. Getting their business bulletproof for when people start looking under the hood. Alexandria SeydelAbsolutely. My background is as an M&A attorney, so I came from the deal side. My co-founder is an operator — she actually knows how to run the businesses. It’s a very good duo. I think like a buyer, first and foremost. That’s how I was trained. So how we help business owners now is we jump in two to five years before exit. We’re trying to solve a problem still being missed by most of the industry. Brokers and bankers know how to get deals done, create auctions, create demand, and sell for high prices. That’s all great. But the gap I was seeing was the need to jump in with the owner before that process. Getting clear on what’s a win for them. There are some startling stats about owner dissatisfaction post-sale. Some surveys show 70 to 80% of owners are dissatisfied after selling. I’d argue that’s not because they sold — it’s because they sold to the wrong person in the wrong way. So it’s the who and the how. Jumping in with them earlier. Before we go to market, Before we start talking multiples and financials. Getting with the owner and doing the work on what a win looks like for them. What do they care about in the process? When they think about their life through this deal and post-deal, what do they want to feel and see? How do they want to operate on an average Tuesday. Yes, after all the cool vacations with all the freedom and the new chapter. After that, what do you want to be doing? And when you look back at that beautiful business you built and then sold, what do you want to see in it? Is it that client service remains the same? Is it that the ethos of the company remains the same? Or is it simply: “Alex, I’m satisfied with the biggest wire at closing we can get, and I’ll be a happy camper moving on to the next phase of life.” Really getting with that owner earlier to get clear on that — what’s a win for them and what’s a win for their business — that’s where we start. Then we begin implementing and helping them build those exit strategies from there. We believe that foundational vision and values work is really going to help bring down that dissatisfaction number. So now we’re building an exit that feels right for the owner, right for the business, and helps them feel good about that transaction. Frazer RiceFrom the estate planning and tax planning side of things, I totally agree that the earlier you start, the more tools you have at your disposal and the better it turns out. I did a piece on pre-exit planning — really engineering what your calendar is going to look like a year after the sale. And I see a lot of dissatisfaction with people who sell and then lose purpose, or aren’t quite equipped to deal with their lower participation in the thing they built, the baby they helped give birth to. They end up unmoored, and that’s part of the depression they sometimes feel if they haven’t really gamed it out and thought through how to replace the structure and the drive it took to build something. It sounds like we’re saying the same thing from slightly different angles. Alexandria SeydelTotally, absolutely. On your side, you’re such a critical part of the team when we start this process. One of the first two questions we ask every client is: who’s your wealth advisor, and who is your tax strategist? Hopefully they’re already in communication, but if they aren’t — you’re looking at the personal side, focused on what the family structure looks like financially, the tax strategies and planning that we know has to happen. And because you’re doing this work — which not all advisors do — you’re getting really clear on the personal side. I’m coming at it from the business balance sheet and business trajectory; you’re coming from the personal side. They work well together. I like to jump in early with the other advisors working with these owners to get really clear, because not only do we know there are structural and strategic things we need to put in place years in advance, but we also need to get clear on what’s a win for them personally and business-wise. Frazer RiceOne of the things you mentioned is the idea of getting the business ready to be sold. I’m fast-forwarding to the concept of getting it Sarbanes-Oxley ready in case a public company wants to buy it — so it can slot neatly into a balance sheet. But that’s really shorthand for saying things are professionally managed: bookkeeping, process, accounts receivable, accounts payable — all formally documented. So that when a buyer starts looking under the hood, they don’t start applying discounts for things they’ll have to fix later. Is that part of what you do? Alexandria SeydelExactly. Being trained as a lawyer on the buy side, my goal — usually at the 11th hour — was to advise my client, the buyer, on risk. And to assess whether the purchase price offered in the letter of intent actually held up once we looked under the hood. The best part of my job now — and way more fun — is that instead of just identifying risk and applying discounts (because almost every deal goes through some form of repricing), I’m jumping in with the sellers and owners hopefully a year or two in advance. We find things a buyer is going to see as a risk, things that would prompt a reprice, and we now have the opportunity to make those things shinier. So that when the buyer looks under the hood, the high end of the multiple range is validated. It’s not just the financials the purchase price is based on — it’s all the other things buyers care about: the people, the processes. Is this a truly transferable asset they can step into, run, and grow? Another big thing we work on is owner dependence. Most owners think the business doesn’t depend on them, but there are often significant opportunities to continue reducing that dependence — so that a buyer sees this as a true transferable asset they can step into and grow. Frazer RiceI imagine there are a couple of come-to-Jesus discussions where you have to tell the owner their revenue is too dependent on them personally. On one end of the spectrum, think of a law firm where business comes in because people think you’re a great lawyer — that doesn’t transfer cleanly. You want the recurring revenue to come from somewhere else. That’s one issue I’m sure you have to sit someone down and address. The five-year runway is helpful there — it gives you time to build in a succession plan, not just for the sale, but operationally, so that value still sits in the business whether you’re there or not. The second thing I find interesting is where you sit somebody down and say: this would look a lot better if you took less money out of the business. If we can put that back into EBITDA, then when a buyer starts applying multiples, they’re multiplying against something bigger rather than against a number deflated by, say, buying a boat. Do you get into that conversation? Alexandria SeydelYes, we do, and we take a cursory look at that fairly quickly. Then we bring in support if needed — whether that’s on the accounting side, how money flows through the business to affect the bottom line and create the story. Every buyer wants at least three years of financials; we want that growth story to look strong, and we want to start building it now. If we need to bring in a fractional controller or a fractional CFO depending on the size and sophistication of the business, that’s something we pull in right away. On your first point — we actually have an architect client right now at exactly that phase. He has a right-hand woman architect who’s been with him for over ten years, and he wants her to have the opportunity to step into the business. He also has a son who’s an architect and wants the same opportunity for him. So we’re building a succession plan. And one of the first problems we addressed was that he’s still driving almost all of the top-line revenue — nearly all the business development runs through him. So we’re asking: when does this right-hand woman get involved in the sales process? What percentage of meetings is she in? What is she bringing in herself? His timeline is five to seven years, so we have time to build this out — continuing to train her, continuing to elevate her and others in the business who can drive relationships and sustain that revenue flow, the recurring revenue that comes from major referral partners and developers giving him large contracts. And on the equity side: what’s the incentive plan? How do we get her aligned with the goals of the business so she genuinely wants to take ownership, both literally and figuratively? We’re building an equity incentive plan with her. On the process and sales side, we’re setting goals — she’s in a certain percentage of meetings by year-end, driving a certain percentage of revenue. We’re helping him set those goals and build a plan to execute on them. Frazer RiceAnd all of that also sets up a longer-term exit — maybe selling the practice to a larger architectural firm or a private equity-backed platform down the line. Alexandria SeydelExactly. And on a slightly longer timeline, all of that work makes the business more efficient operationally and more attractive as a potential sale — whether that’s to those two individuals in a succession plan or to an outside buyer. Frazer RiceWhat happens when a business comes to you and maybe the brand is well respected and things look good from the outside, but there’s decay underneath? They come to you and say they’re ready to sell, but when you look at it, the dollar signs in their eyes are based on something that existed a long time ago and has since been left to deteriorate. What do you do in that situation? Alexandria SeydelWe start with what we call an Exit Readiness Assessment — it’s a 90-minute virtual session that pulls you out of your inbox, out of the fires you’re fighting every day, and lets you step back and look at every dimension of your business through the lens of what a buyer is going to assess. It produces a readiness score and tranches everything into three buckets: value adds (greater multiple), value detractors (reduction in sale price), and deal killers — things like accounting or legal issues so significant that a buyer doesn’t just reprice, they walk away entirely. That assessment becomes the foundation for a roadmap: what are the most important things to fix, and in what order? We all have limited time, energy, and capital. The triage framework helps you apply those resources to the things that actually move the needle. And yes, there is often a come-to-Jesus moment. Sometimes an owner comes in burned out — they just want to hand over the keys. We want to avoid that situation, but if you get there proactively rather than reactively, if you’ve already done the work with advisors like Frazer and like us to put systems, people, and processes in place, your readiness score is in much better shape. If you haven’t done that work, it requires a harder conversation — what do you want out of this? What are your goals? And what can we realistically accomplish in what period of time? Frazer RiceWhat about founders who want to grow and are looking for outside capital, but want to stay involved? How do you think about sourcing that capital and making sure the partners are the right fit? Alexandria SeydelWe have several clients right now raising seed rounds, and one working through whether to raise a Series A. I think that discussion has to be framed, at least in part, through the exit lens. There’s a lot of pressure right now — especially in AI or capital-hungry industries — to raise the big splashy Series A, make the oversubscribed round LinkedIn post. Great, I’m all for it if you actually need that capital. But there’s a lot to consider first: are these the right partners? What limitations does this put on your exit pathway? I have one client who has a really nice business growing at a solid clip — I think it could exit in the $20 million range in the next year or two, and he’s still the primary owner. He’s feeling pressure from his industry where raising a big Series A is the norm. I asked him what he wants to be doing in two years. His answer was surfing in Portugal. If you raise a Series A right now, you are not surfing in Portugal in two years. So with that in mind, is this the business you want to keep growing? Are you ready to bring in people who have real influence over how you sell, who you sell to, and for how much? Your timeline gets extended and your decision-making authority gets diluted. Maybe the Series A is right because you need the capital to grow — but even then, does it have to be a $50 or $100 million round? Could it be $10 million? Even the size of the round affects the cap table, the governance, and ultimately the exit. Frazer RiceHave you had the difficult situation where someone is presented with an offer that mixes cash and stock in the acquiring company — and you’re looking at it thinking maybe they should push for all cash, or maybe they should walk away entirely? Alexandria SeydelYes, and I’m very comfortable in that conversation. My advice almost always starts the same way: get as much cash at close as possible. Reduce the earnout tranche. A lot of deals come in structured across three buckets — cash at close, earnout, and rollover equity in the buyer. I’ve seen deals close where five years later that rollover equity is worth zero. So I walk every owner through this exercise: if the earnout and the rollover equity both go to zero, are you completely comfortable walking away with just the cash at close? If that feels okay, then we can dial those other numbers however we need. If it doesn’t feel okay, then we need to ask harder questions — do we need to grow more first? Do we need to negotiate different terms? Do we have multiple LOIs with different structures we can compare? The institutional buyers will always tell you the rollover equity is going to 10x. Always. And as the lawyer, I used to be delivering that reality check at the 11th hour when it was almost too late. Now that I get to work with owners before that process, I can prime them early: rollover equity, in our minds, is always worth zero unless proven otherwise. If it 10x’s, that’s the cherry on top — incredible. But don’t build your retirement plan around it. Frazer RiceAre you part of the process of generating buyer interest? I imagine it’s often industry-specific — there are people who understand the space and know the players. But how do you get a few LOIs on the table so it doesn’t become a fire sale? Alexandria SeydelWe consciously made the decision not to become brokers or registered broker-dealers, for two reasons. One, I want to stay fully aligned with the owner’s actual goals. This has happened: we started working with a woman, began building up her people and processes, and 18 months later she said, “Wait — I actually have more freedom now. I’m operating at a higher level because the business is starting to run without me.” The work we were doing to prepare for a sale also just made the business more enjoyable to run. She decided to grow for another year or two instead. Because our compensation isn’t tied to a success fee at closing, we can fully support that decision. Two, deal brokers and investment bankers are often highly industry-specific. A banker who knows your manufacturing sector deeply is going to be more effective in market than we would be. So we refer our clients to multiple specialists in their industry, help them assess fit, and — because I’m trained in reviewing those contracts — help them understand what they’re actually agreeing to in the engagement letter. Then once that team goes to market, we stay on the owner’s shoulder throughout the process. My consistent message: fit matters. Trust your gut. If this buyer doesn’t feel right, honor that, and let’s figure it out before we’re at the closing table. Frazer RiceHow do you tell a founder or family-owned business that the family dynamics are a value detractor? If there’s conflict — someone looking for income while others want to grow, every decision a fight — I imagine buyers pick up on that quickly. Alexandria SeydelIt starts with being human first. Understanding the people behind the business, understanding the family dynamics. A lot of M&A professionals have no interest in going there. My co-founder Kim Wozny and I both actually like that part. We like knowing the people, understanding the dynamics, understanding when someone has a mental block around part of their business because of a fear mindset, or when pressure from a family member is pulling them in a direction they don’t want to go. Being willing to dig into that — as a third-party neutral advisor working for the founders first — is part of what we do. And on the process side, if you have four siblings who own a second-generation business and three want to grow while one wants to sell, how do you show that fourth person that now isn’t the right time? You give them more information, more context, more understanding. And where necessary, you wrap enough process and procedure around that situation so that a buyer can see that this one person being out of alignment doesn’t constitute a major risk to the business. Frazer RiceDon’t give the buyer a reason to say no or pay less. If you can batten that down ahead of time, it’s worth it. As we wind down — what’s a short checklist for founders who are thinking about selling? What are the first steps to assess their readiness? Alexandria SeydelFirst and foremost: it’s never too early to start thinking about it. Even just getting clarity on your personal vision — what you want out of this — helps direct major business decisions as you grow. We have two clients right now considering joint ventures. One is actually moving forward with a new 50/50 partner; the other decided against it. They’re on very different exit timelines, and those exit pathways are a large part of why a joint venture may or may not be the right choice for each of them. I’m always happy to just talk to founders about how they’re thinking about this, even without any formal engagement. I want more owners thinking about exit earlier — it only does them a massive service. And one practical exercise I love: the Europe Test. Imagine you’re going to Europe for three weeks, somewhere with no cell reception. Who calls you first? What processes break? What sits in your inbox undone? It’s a more fun version of the “hit by a bus” question — and it’s a really useful early diagnostic for where the business still depends too heavily on you. Start uncovering those things now, so you have the time and runway to fix them. Frazer RiceTerrific stuff. Alex, how do people find you and your firm? Alexandria SeydelI’m Alexandria Seydel — last name spelled S-E-Y-D-E-L. You can find me on LinkedIn, where I’m active all the time, or look up Ripple’s Edge Advisors. Reach out via email or LinkedIn message. Even if you’re just starting to think about it, I love having that conversation. Frazer RicePerfect — that will all be in the show notes. Thank you for being on. Alexandria SeydelThank you, Frazer. https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/ ALTERNATE TITLES The 5-Year Exit Strategy Blueprint: Preparing Your Business for Sale Getting The Business Ready to Sell How to Maximize Business Value Before Selling KEYWORDS (GETTING THE BUSINESS READY TO SELL) business exit planning, M&A, business valuation, succession planning, sale readiness, owner dissatisfaction, deal structuring, growth strategies, capital raising, exit readiness assessment, getting the business ready to sell,
For years, many in crypto believed there was a coordinated effort to slow, restrict, and push digital asset innovation out of the United States. This week, that conversation changed. President Trump directly called out what he described as the "Anti-Crypto Army," blaming regulators and policymakers for driving innovation offshore and promising a future-proof digital asset market structure designed to ensure America remains the Crypto Capital of the World. Then Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse delivered a response that immediately captured the industry's attention: "The Anti-Crypto Army was defeated... by the courts... by the voters... and by Trump." Those aren't just headlines. They may represent the official end of one of the most controversial periods in crypto history. Tonight on On The Chain, Jeff and Chip break down why this moment matters and what it could mean for XRP, Ripple, Bitcoin, stablecoins, market structure legislation, institutional adoption, and the future of digital assets in the United States. We'll connect the dots between:
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse speaks at Consensus. At CoinDesk's Consensus, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse joins the stage for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of crypto, regulation, and global payments. He breaks down why he believes stablecoins could reach a $3 trillion market cap by 2031 and what's driving that long-term growth. Garlinghouse also discusses the importance of regulatory clarity in the U.S., including the potential impact of the CLARITY Act on the digital asset industry. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Brad Garlinghouse at Consensus Miami 2026 04:21 - Will the CLARITY Act Pass This Year? 06:04 - Why It Matters (and XRP's Existing Legal Clarity) 10:00 - Ripple's M&A Strategy 11:48 - G Treasury: $13T in Payments, Opportunity to Move On-Chain 14:53 - IPO Plans 17:44 - Stablecoins: $3T by 2031 19:01 - XRP News and Highlights
XRP may have just entered an entirely new phase. For years, the conversation around XRP focused on payments, settlement, and moving value from one place to another. But what happens when XRP itself becomes productive capital? Tonight on On The Chain, we break down a major shift happening across the XRP ecosystem. The XRP Ledger Foundation's latest State of XRP report shows continued growth in institutional DeFi, tokenized real-world assets, stablecoins, and decentralized liquidity. Meanwhile, Flare co-founder Hugo Philion explains how XRP can now be used as collateral inside lending, vault, and yield-generating strategies — opening the door to an entirely new utility layer for XRP holders. We'll also cover: ⚡ XRP lending, vaults, collateral, and yield strategies ⚡ RLUSD surpassing $1.75 billion market cap ⚡ Ripple's AI Red Team and efforts to secure the XRP Ledger ⚡ The latest institutional DeFi developments on XRPL ⚡ Sui's network outage and what it means for blockchain reliability ⚡ Crypto ETF demand cooling while traditional markets continue higher ⚡ Crypto market volatility following Hormuz tensions ⚡ Texas politics, crypto influence, and the growing regulatory battle ⚡ Caitlin Long's escalating fight with the Federal Reserve ⚡ Jamie Dimon, geopolitics, memes, and the week's biggest stories The bigger question may be this: If XRP is no longer just a payment asset, what happens when it becomes collateral, liquidity, and productive capital inside a growing digital financial system? Let's connect the dots. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said on Friday that banks “will not accept” the current form of a landmark crypto bill, which could be voted on in the coming weeks, and publicly attacked Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong saying “He's full of shit.” Meanwhile, Ripple might be preparing to fight back by acquiring more companies this year. ~This Episode is Sponsored by OKX~ Trade RLUSD/XRP on OKX + claim the new user offer! Deposit and trade $200 to unlock $100 ➜ https://bit.ly/OKXRP Use code: paulbarron *Terms Apply* 00:00 intro 00:11 Sponsor: OKX 01:07 Jamie Dimon Buying Coinbase? 02:12 Coinbase & Circle Acquisition Price 03:24 Ripple Tried To Buy Circle 04:03 Brad Garlinghouse vs Jamie Dimon 05:05 Ripple Acquisition Season 05:45 Ripple Doesn't Want Coinbase 06:19 Ripple Should Buy Kraken 06:55 Why Kraken x Ripple Would Work 08:01 xStocks growth 08:39 Nasdaq Using xStocks 08:51 Kraken Fed Account 09:22 Ripple Should buy Paxos 09:54 Paxos Corporate Stablecoins 10:10 Paxos Gold 10:57 outro #Crypto #XRP #Ripple ~Shots Fired!
The Deadcast uncovers the secrets of Steal Your Face, the Dead's 1976 live album with a checkered reputation, dramatic backstory, & sonic experimentation by Phil Lesh & Owsley Stanley. Guests: Ron Rakow, Al Teller, John Scher, Ned Lagin, David Lemeiux See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Flare may have just solved one of the biggest obstacles preventing XRP from fully entering the institutional DeFi era. While most of crypto continues focusing on speculation and price action, tonight we break down the infrastructure layers quietly being built underneath the next financial system — and why Flare's expanding ecosystem could fundamentally change how institutions interact with XRP. From trusted interoperability and institutional communication layers… to token transparency standards… to economic security frameworks… to on-chain protection mechanisms… the conversation around XRP is rapidly evolving beyond payments into programmable institutional infrastructure. Tonight on On The Chain, Jeff and Chip connect the dots between: ⚡ Flare's computation layer and XRP interoperability ⚡ Institutional prerequisites before entering DeFi ⚡ Firelight's economic security and coverage model ⚡ Transparency Alliance and token disclosure standards ⚡ XRPFi infrastructure expansion ⚡ Ripple's growing institutional positioning ⚡ Swell + Apex convergence ⚡ AI, tokenization, and autonomous finance ⚡ Political instability and the accelerating global system transition This is no longer just about crypto. This is about the parallel financial system quietly going live. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Prediction market odds on the CLARITY Act passing before 2027 collapsed from nearly 75% to 50% in a single week. ~This episode is sponsored by Uphold~ Uphold Debit Card ➜ https://bit.ly/UpholdXRPCard 00:00 Sponsor: Uphold 01:00 CLARITY progress 01:30 Trump Tweet 02:00 Odds 02:45 CLARITY in jeopardy 03:20 Mail spam vs crypto 04:40 Crypto enlists Jasmine Crocket to dethrone Al Green 05:20 Protect Progress PAC 05:45 Al green defeated 06:30 Crypto enlists more young candidates 07:00 Bank funded republican lost 07:30 Coinbase helping people more than banks 08:00 SoFi / ETH and SOL 08:40 Michael Saylor: How DeFi will help retail people 10:00 Ripple sends SEC notes 11:20 Stellar x DTCC but in 2027 12:20 Liquid: DeFi already one step ahead of the DTCC 13:40 Lawyers say WTF 14:15 GSR: What should your core portfolio be? 15:00 Compare $BESO to $Bitcoin 15:30 AVAX flips SOL 16:15 FREE in .5 seconds #Crypto #Bitcoin #Ethereum ~CLARITY in Jeopardy!
Have you ever walked into a room and felt like everyone else already knew how to network, how to pitch themselves, how to sound confident, and how to make the right connections? Here is the much-awaited part two of my conversation with Sasha Grinshpun on The Ripple Effect Podcast. We get into the real stuff that so many professionals, founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders are wrestling with right now. - How do you build meaningful connections without feeling fake? - How do you stop being the world's best-kept secret? - How do you turn feedback, rejection, and even those frustrating "nos" into something that actually moves you forward? Sasha brings such a refreshing perspective on authentic networking, career confidence, design thinking, LinkedIn networking, and the entrepreneur mindset. What I love about Sasha is that she does not just talk about career growth and business coaching from theory. She has lived the messy, nonlinear path herself, and she has helped thousands of professionals find the words, confidence, and clarity to take the next step. Sasha Grinshpun is an executive coach, career strategist, facilitator, and founder of Catapult Circles and the LinkedIn Accelerator. Over the last 15-plus years, she has worked with Fortune 500 executives, founders, and accomplished professionals as they navigate their next chapter. Her background spans Yale Economics, Harvard Business School, Monitor Deloitte, and IDEO, giving her a rare mix of strategic rigor, design thinking, and genuine warmth. Sasha is also a leading voice on how AI is changing networking, hiring, professional visibility, and the future of work. Sasha will be launching Networking for Introverts and LinkedIn Accelerator cohorts. She's also building with AI in communities around the world with her AI-in-Action workshops. See catapultcircles.com for more info! If this conversation hits home, I hope you will watch it all the way through. There are a lot of Ripples in this one, and I have a feeling one of them might be exactly what you need to hear right now. Ripple with Sasha Grinshpun Website: https://catapultcircles.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashagrinshpun/ X: https://x.com/catapultcircles Substack: https://sashagrinshpun.substack.com/ Ripple with Steve Harper Instagram: http://instagram.com/rippleon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rippleon X: https://twitter.com/rippleon Website: http://www.ripplecentral.com
Brian from Santiment joined me to review the crypto market metrics for Bitcoin, Ripple XRP, Ethereum, Hyperliquid, and Solana.
In this episode of Dear Church, Steve Minor returns to discuss the important responsibility of raising godly women in a culture that often pushes against biblical values. This conversation explores the role of parents, the influence of faith in the home, and the importance of teaching young women to pursue Christ, wisdom, purity, strength, and compassion. The episode also looks at how the church can encourage and support the next generation of faithful Christian women. In a world full of confusion and pressure, God's Word continues to provide clarity and purpose for families seeking to honor Him. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." — Proverbs 31:30 Ripple of Light Ministries exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through an engaging network of multimedia, equipping the Church and reaching the lost. Connect with Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearchurch_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564673680147 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DearChurch Have a question? Email Chris at chris.mccurley@rippleoflight.com. #DearChurch #ChristianPodcast #Faith #FreedomInChrist #JesusChrist #Gospel #ChristianLiving
Trump just signed his biggest crypto executive order yet, giving the Fed 120 days to evaluate opening payment rails to Coinbase, Kraken, Circle, Ripple, and Anchorage. The move could break the bank monopoly on Fed plumbing right as Bitcoin sits at $76K after $1B in ETF outflows and $660M in liquidations. Add Warren's attack on OCC crypto charters, JPMorgan saying Bitcoin ETFs are recovering 2X faster than Ethereum, Goldman dumping XRP and Solana for Hyperliquid, and the SEC readying tokenized stocks, and you have one of the most pivotal weeks of the cycle. Is this the bottom, or the setup for Bitcoin's next leg higher? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday, instructing the Fed to assess options for extending payment access to fintech firms. Meanwhile, banks won in dethroning pro-crypto candidate Thomas Massie. ~This Episode is Sponsored by OKX~ New OKX users can earn up to $300. Deposit and trade $300 → unlock $100 ➜https://bit.ly/OKXRP Use code: paulbarron 00:00 intro 00:08 Sponsor: OKX 01:04 Elizabeth Warren Attacked Ripple 01:27 Trump Executive Order 02:23 Lummis: What's Next For CLARITY 03:06 Lummis on scooter 03:49 Bankers vs CLARITY Fight Escalates 04:33 CLARITY Odds Collapse 05:20 Pro-Crypto Massie Loses Seat 06:10 Thomas Massie Concession Speech 06:55 Could Massie Hold Up CLARITY? 07:15 Banks endorsed Ed Gallrein 08:40 Gold vs Bitcoin Under Trump 09:42 World Gold Council CEO on Bitcoin 11:28 Gold Bugs Like XRP & Ethereum 12:12 Gold Companies complain about interoperability 13:00 Ethereum Dominating Gold 13:33 ETH is Common Ground 14:15 World's Gold on ETH 14:55 outro #Crypto #XRP #Ethereum ~Trump Executive Order Saves Ripple!
In a letter sent Monday to Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould, Warren argued crypto banking license approvals violated the National Bank Act—and are now posing “serious risks” to the safety and soundness of the U.S. banking system. ~This episode is sponsored by Uphold~ Uphold Exa Credit Card ➜ https://bit.ly/UpholdXRPCard 00:00 Intro 00:10 Sponsor: Uphold 01:00 Warren attacks Ripple 02:00 Perianne Boring: Mask off phase 03:50 NYSE 234 years 04:20 FOX: NYSE next chapter 05:50 SEC 07:45 TradFi vs 24/7 markets 10:40 Solana stats 11:00 Tom Lee 5% 11:30 BlackRock buys BONK 13:10 Bloomberg: US consumers navigating shocks well 14:40 Rate hike odds surge 15:20 Decision soon? 15:45 Midterms 16:00 Texas flip? #Crypto #XRP #XRPnews ~Elizabeth Warren Targets Ripple!
RIPPLE OF HOPE: FROM THE BOILING FROG'S PERSPECTIVE by DARRELL NATHANIEL BRIDGERS Darrellnathanielbridgers.com https://www.amazon.com/RIPPLE-HOPE-BOILING-FROGS-PERSPECTIVE/dp/B0DPTMDSBF Kai Jones is a Black male attorney living in New York City. He is in an interracial relationship, married to an Italian woman that he met in law school. They thought they were living the American dream, living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and raising two young daughters. But when they come under attack by racist neighbors in their building (the “Hagmans”), Kai must use his legal training to defend his family and their home against the Hagmans and the Co-Op Board they control. If he fails, he not only risks losing his home but his family as well
The Deadcast concludes its extended 2-part tribute to Bobby Weir, ranging into the evolution of his songwriting, stage persona, guitar playing, and unexpected career beyond the Grateful Dead.Guests: Bobby Weir, David Lemieux, Jeff Chimenti, Scott Metzger, Don Was, Gary Lambert, Tim Stevens, Tony Italiano, William Keats, Bretty PauleySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryBitcoin Update: Bitcoin holds above $80,400 amid rising geopolitical tensions and oil prices, with traders watching today's U.S. inflation data for directional cues.Ethereum Momentum: Spot Ethereum ETFs saw their strongest single-day inflows in over a month, led by BlackRock and Fidelity, signaling growing institutional interest in ETH.Ripple Expansion: Ripple launched RLUSD in five new European countries with local bank partnerships to support cross-border payments and tokenized treasury services.Institutional Move: A major European asset manager launched a new Bitcoin and Ethereum custody solution targeted at institutional clients.Security Incident: A DeFi protocol on Solana lost ~$38 million in a flash-loan and oracle manipulation attack, one of the largest exploits on the network recently.Major Funding & Partnerships: AetherFi (AI-powered lending protocol) raised $120 million last week and announced a new integration with Chainlink for real-time risk pricing.Hot Presales: IONIX CHAIN raised an additional $12 million and Mutuum Finance closed its latest round at $9.4 million, showing continued retail interest in early-stage projects.Altcoin Watch: Analysts are highlighting five altcoins with strong setups — Chainlink (LINK), Kaspa (KAS), Sui (SUI), NEAR, and Bittensor (TAO) — that could see significant breakouts if Bitcoin holds above $80K. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Crypto News: American Bankers Association CEO Rob Nichols tries to rally Senators to go against Stablecoin yield compromise and roadblock the Clarity Act. Circle raises $222 million from BlackRock, Apollo and others in Arc token presale valued at $3 billion.Brought to you by
Ripple CEO sits down with CoinDesk from Consensus Miami. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse joins CoinDesk Live at Consensus 2026 in Miami with a wide-ranging conversation from the Bullish-Equiniti deal to Ripple's own institutional push. Plus, why he is not an XRP maxi and his stand on AI in the modern workforce. - Timestamps: 00:00 Brad Garlinghouse Joins CoinDesk Live at Consensus 2026 00:34 Bitcoin Above $80K and the Bullish-Equiniti Deal 01:21 Tokenization's "Magical Moment" 02:01 Hidden Road and XRP as Institutional Collateral 02:13 Coinbase Layoffs and Crypto's Speculation Problem 02:55 Why Ripple Sees AI as a Growth Accelerant, Not a Cut 03:57 AI Isn't the ‘Boogeyman' 05:06 How Ripple Uses AI Across Finance, Marketing, and Code 06:04 U.S. Crypto Market Structure 07:18 Ripple's Brand and the XRP Army 08:11 Why Tribalism Hurts Crypto: It's a Multi-Chain World 09:03 Ripple's Mission for XRP Adoption, Liquidity, and Trust - This interview was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie and Sam Ewen.
The Grateful Deadcast returns for its 13th season, beginning with a 2-part tribute to the great Bobby Weir, mixing interviews with archival audio to tell the story of how a teenage Atherton folkie found his singular jazz-informed musical voice (dropping a few water balloons en route).Guests: Bobby Weir, David Lemieux, David Nelson, Gary Lambert, Rhoney Stanley, Graeme BooneSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.